Proud of my kids!!

I have a grandma that has multiple scorosis. It is a really nasty disease. It has been really sad to see it transform my grandma.

This is my grandma on my dad's side. It is actually his stepmother, but she raised him and his brother from a very early age after his mother passed away. Her and my grandfather then also adopted a baby girl when my dad was a teen. Grandma Donna was never able to have any biological children. She was hit with this disease young and it has taken a huge part of her life.

From an early age I saw it transform her. I remember her always having trouble getting around, needing a cane, then eventually a wheel chair, to now being trapped in her body. She is in her 60's and has been in a wheel chair for probably close to 15 years. She can't eat or drink(has to have only liquids thickened), she can't move her legs and arms at all, can't see very well, and trying to talk is like trying to see through a fog.

Now you can imagine that it is something that is hard for kids to understand. My kids used to be very scared and not really want to go visit her. Heck I even was like that because it was just so sad and you can't help but think that she probably doesn't remember anyway, why bother.

Well when I went down with the kids in December I played on their sensitive hearts and told them that Grandma is stuck in her body, but she is there! She wants to see people, have them talk to her, and would love to have people treat her like she is just like anyone else. That visit they were amazing. All of them! They pushed her around the nursing home as we went visiting all the residents(Dad is big on showing off the grandkids and letting the residents enjoy seeing them), they sang to her all their Christmas songs they were learning, etc.

Since then, Kennedy has talked about Grandma from time to time and last week asked if we could go see her again. So I talked to Dad and also set it up with my sister to take my niece who they hadn't seen in 3 months or longer. So yesterday we went up. The kids were pretty good again. A little wilder because my niece was there(JJ and her are BEST buddies!!) but still really good. And all the kids were really excited to see Grandma, well except Bianca who is very reserved around people she isn't used to and Alex who is at that "too cool" stage. The other 3 all were kissing on Grandma and hugging on her, made me very proud of their sensitive little hearts. How lonely it must get for Grandma and you could tell it just made her day.

Here is a picture of my dad, my 5, my niece, and me with Grandma.